Gender parity to be discussed at June IOC meeting

LAUSANNE: A program aimed at improving parity between men and women at the 2020 Games in Tokyo will be discussed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on June 9, a spokesperson told Agence France-Presse on Friday. The IOC’s executive committee will also discuss how to incorporate the new sports on the program: climbing, karate, skateboarding, surfing and baseball/softball. The June 9 meeting had already been called to discuss the possibility of awarding both the 2024 and 2028 Games at the next IOC Session in Lima in September. The IOC wishes to maintain a limit of 10,500 athletes admitted to the Games but needs to work out how to do that while incorporating new sports and reducing the imbalance in numbers between male and female athletes.